


Propensity for Change

by unlockthelore



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 半妖の夜叉姫 | Hanyou no Yashahime | Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Introspection, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29734560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unlockthelore/pseuds/unlockthelore
Summary: Kirinmaru should have known the two would be wed but he underestimated fate's habit of targeting the unexpecting.
Relationships: Inu no Taishou & Kirinmaru (Hanyou no Yashahime), Inu no Taishou/Sesshoumaru's Mother
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Propensity for Change

In retrospect, Kirinmaru knew he should have numbered his days when he’d heard Tōga of all people was to be wed to the Lady of the West. News rippled across the oceans and soon came to lay at his feet even as his ship docked at a harbor halfway across the world. Returning was a matter of hours rather than weeks as he’d ordered his retainers to set sail while he took to the skies, thinking all the while of how odd such a union could be.

He’d met the Lady of the West during the beginning of her siege to gather the western lands beneath her rule. After abandoning her father’s sky-faring castle, she’d taken to the land and from Kirinmaru’s own scouts, it was reported she only had one member in her retinue. An inudaiyōkai of low birth who held no small amount of loyalty to his lady, and boasted great skill with his blade. Laughable as it was for some that the two would think they could conquer lands held by yokai far older and wiser, Kirinmaru was in no rush to prove whether the whelp could back his words. Instead, he watched from afar as yōkai, known for their cunning and martial ability fell beneath the pair’s combined talents.

It was the beginning of a new era and upon crossing blades with Tōga for the first time, he realized nothing would ever be the same.

The inu daiyōkai bore him no ill-will no matter how many times they clashed and he answered each of Kirinmaru’s challenges with great pleasure. Even going so far as to march into the midlands where neither of them held lordship nor title, and could leave as many grievous wounds as they liked.

Tōga was _odd_ to put it mildly.

He smiled unabashedly in a toothy, boyish manner that made him seem younger and drew attention to his brazen ways. After their bouts, he lavished earnest compliments of Kirinmaru’s strength while urging him to lay down his mask and take up a cup of sake with him. During those moments, Kirinmaru was at a loss for words, exchanging glances with the Western Lady reclined upon her throne with barely kept amusement.

He wondered after their last fight almost cost Tōga his arm if she’d come to test her own mettle against him. Yet to his surprise, she simply sat back and watched as her most trusted (and reckless) general challenged him again and again. Debris deflected from her viewing area by a barrier and even their most destructive attacks were brushed off. Tōga didn’t seem to mind, and invited Kirinmaru with his Lady’s permission, talking to him all the while about one nonsensical matter to another.

Honestly, he didn’t understand Tōga at all nor could he see the love between them. Tōga knelt before her, customary as one of his station should have, and he rose at her order, as expected. There was no favoritism, no secret glances between them, nothing he could discern with a glance or a furtive look. Then, when was it?

His first inkling came when reports returned of Tōga tearing through the midland territories bordering the western land’s borders after a foot soldier dared to loose an arrow when his Lady was in mid-word. It was oddly out of character for him. The Tōga Kirinmaru knew was a rather carefree individual who shrugged off blows to the body and head as if they were taps, rather than an attempt at his life. And from what his scouts said the arrow itself was easily deflected, it was neither enchanted nor poisoned or tampered with in any way. But in the art of war, it was a declaration, and Tōga in his rage, bid the soldiers under his command to stay the line while he marched on alone.

Utterly brazen and foolish but curious. Kirinmaru found himself wondering why it is he went to such lengths. Was he attempting to prove to his Lady, whose forces were growing by the day as more yōkai fell beneath her banner in awe of her beauty and might, that _he_ was indispensable to her? Kirinmaru wondered if it was worth it after Tōga came to him dejected, complaining about being _scolded_ then offering a bottle of sake to him so they could both drink away the day’s toils.

He couldn’t help but ask him then after they’d had a few cups and to his surprise, Tōga gave him an odd look, snorting into his sake, spluttering droplets of it against his silken hakama already dirtied from their recent scuffle in the gardens. “Of course not,” he laughed, draining the cup in one go then pouring himself another. The violet-colored markings on his scarlet-tinged cheeks stood out boldly as he spat a satisfied sigh, lifting his cup to him. “When you’re in love, you want to protect the person who matters most to you,” he poured himself another, murmuring softly, “Even if she _can_ protect herself.”

Kirinmaru stared at him, unable to lift his own cup with his arms pinned beneath the weight of Tōga’s blatant confession. In contrast, his self-proclaimed ‘drinking buddy’ continued sipping away. Unperturbed or unbothered by what he admitted nor aware of the woman of his affections looking down at him from the doorway. Kirinmaru glanced up in time to see a flicker of shock on her face before she met his gaze. A vein of steel flashed in those golden eyes with a silent warning and he lifted his cup in solidarity with Tōga who jostled him, slurring his words as he asked why he hadn’t drunk.

“It is a beautiful time to be alive, don’t you think?” Tōga laughed, throwing his head back as he raised his cup to the sky. Sunlight glimmered off its shallow rim and Kirinmaru buried a huff in his own drink, hearing a quiet puff of laughter from her as they watched him pour out his heart as quickly as he poured his drink.

When the bottle ran empty, Kirinmaru was left to stumble into the castle with the drunken fool hanging off his shoulder. Intent on walking him to his quarters until he noticed his path had been altered. No matter how he turned, or where he walked, he was led to a pair of doors he’d never seen before. The halls were changing by someone’s will, he finally understood, and he could have almost guessed who.

But as if sensing his thoughts, Tōga’s head bobbed up and he squinted at the doors as they approached.

“Huh.. these aren’t my quarters…” he grumbled indignantly, like a child trying to piece together a puzzle. Then for one odd second, he sobered up and pulled his weight off Kirinmaru’s shoulder as if not realizing he was there to hold _him_ up. “These are…”

The door slid open before he could finish and there she stood, her eyes focused on Tōga who seemed less drunk and more aware by the second. Cold could sober someone up faster than anything, and Kirinmaru heard the Lady of the West had a gaze colder than ice, but from where he stood it was rather warm. Though when she glanced in his direction, the warmth dissipated and he realized his purpose had been fulfilled. Unintended as it was..

Slipping Tōga’s arm from around his neck, Kirinmaru pushed him forward, ignoring his startled yelp when he almost collided with the doorframe.

Taking that as his cue, Kirinmaru turned on his heel and started back down the hall. Unable to help his curiosity when he slanted a look over his shoulder once he was close to taking a turn. Tōga’s ear tips tinged pink and her hands grasped his bicep, helping to pull him inside, the barest hint of a smile disappearing behind the door’s closing.

Upon stepping around the corner, Kirinmaru thought on it then turned around only to find the hall had changed once more and the doors leading to her quarters were nowhere in sight. He scoffed. So he was meant to play a courier, delivering her general to her chambers.

Shaking his head, he left with a curt dismissal to the attendants and vassals bowing to him once he took to the skies. By the end of the night, Tōga might have been her lover but he never expected her to take him as a husband. A daiyokai of low birth wed to an heiress blessed by the heavens. There would be whispers, rumors and opinions, but none could alter what was taking place. Change had come and those two decided to meet it gracefully.

Still, one thing refused to leave his mind. Assurances echoed across time in Tōga’s voice that one day it would be Kirinmaru’s turn as well, to lay down his mask and bare his heart true. Whether to friend, lover, family or foe.

He disagreed.

Quite frequently.

But in hindsight, he should have known better — change came for everyone, and soon, it would come for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! That most recent episode of Yashahime was crazy, wasn't it? I got hit with the writer's bug and decided to write some more of the series I've been working on and this little ditty came up. Now, I'm not sure if there will be any extra chapters considering that I wrote this all off the top of my head _but_ , if there are then I'd want to explore the character that turns out to be Riku's mother. This fic exists in Yashahime Route's verse and thus, Kirinmaru ends up being the father of Riku. And as you can see, he's quite friendly with Tōga and Kimi. 
> 
> But all in all, this is something pre-canon that I wanted to roll around in my head. Thank you so much for reading! And if you'd like to check me out elsewhere, I'm on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Tapas, and Pillowfort at **unlockthelore**! See you later!


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